Antidote
by wildgirlN
Summary: For Amy, it's a dream come true when Sonic finally agrees to come on a picnic with her, even if it's not romantic. But her day is ruined when she is poisoned by someone - or something. Will Tails be able to find the antidote? Will Sonic be able to find whoever is responsible for poisoning Amy?
1. Chapter 1: The Picnic

**Sonic, Tails and Amy belong to SEGA.**

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><p>Amy Rose smiled at Sonic the Hedgehog as she sipped her juice. "It's so nice to have a picnic with you, Sonic!"<p>

Sonic leaned against a nearby tree, eating a chilidog. "Mmm hmm."

"Thanks so much for coming!" Amy continued happily.

"Uh... no problem, Amy," Sonic replied awkwardly. "Just... please don't try to make me marry you again."

Amy giggled. "No worries, Sonic. I won't."

After the two finished their picnic, they just lay on the grass and stared at the clouds for a while. Amy pointed out random shapes in the sky, and Sonic just smiled and nodded. Finally, it started to get dark, so they got up, put away the picnic stuff and rolled up the blanket. Sonic started to leave the park, but then he looked back and saw Amy still standing there. "Amy? Come on, it's time to go." He heard Amy make a retching sound. "Amy?" He ran over to her.

Amy was clutching her stomach and groaning. "Ah... Sonic... My stomach hurts... I think... I might be sick..."

"But... you were perfectly healthy earlier today..." Sonic mumbled. "How could..." Amy groaned again, and he snapped out of it. "I'll take you to Tails. He might know what's wrong with you." He dropped the picnic stuff, grabbed Amy, and zoomed off to Tails' house.

As soon as Sonic stepped onto the porch, Tails opened the door. "How'd you know I was here?" asked Sonic in confusion.

"I've got a security system," Tails explained. "What's wrong with Amy?"

"Her stomach hurts," Sonic replied, carrying Amy inside Tails' house. "But she was fine earlier today. I think something might be really wrong with her." Amy groaned again as if to prove Sonic's point.

"Here, put her on this couch," Tails instructed. Sonic obeyed and set Amy down on the couch in a reclining position. "I'm no doctor, but I did learn some stuff about medicine and first aid when I was littler..." He examined Amy for a minute, then looked at Sonic. "Her stomach started hurting very suddenly?"

Sonic nodded. "Yea, it was really weird."

"What were you guys doing?" questioned Tails.

"Having a picnic," Sonic replied, a bit puzzled. "Why? Do you know what happened?"

Tails looked back at Amy, frowning. "I'll need to perform some tests to make sure... but I think that Amy has been poisoned."

Sonic gasped. "Poisoned? By who?"

Tails shrugged. "Who knows? It could be Eggman, or some other bad guy. Where did you get the food for your picnic?"

"We just bought it from the store..." Sonic muttered. "But the guy who gave it to us did look a little strange."

"Hmm. Well, we'll have to look into that. But right now, I need to perform some tests so that I can figure out if she was poisoned, and if she needs an antidote." Tails hurried off, and returned a minute later with a glass of water. He dropped a pill into the glass and the pill dissolved. "Try to get Amy to drink this," he instructed Sonic, giving him the glass. "It's just a sleeping aid, so she won't be awake and in pain." Before Sonic could reply, Tails bustled off again.

Sonic bent down by Amy and coaxed her to drink the water. She did, and after a couple minutes, her groans subsided and her eyes closed. Sonic sighed, sat down on a nearby chair, and waited for Tails to come back.

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><p><strong>Well, I hope you liked the first chapter. If not, you don't have to read any more. :)<strong>


	2. Chapter 2: Amharpaliza?

**Same characters as last time. ;)**

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><p>Tails returned a minute later, looking very busy. Sonic sat in the chair, feeling worried as his twin-tailed buddy hurried back and forth between rooms, carrying various medical things and poking Amy with them. He had no idea what Tails was doing, but he trusted him, so he just let him take care of Amy.<p>

Finally, Tails finished with all the testing. He came back with a couple pieces of lined paper that were covered with handwritten words and equations. "Here's the results, Sonic," said Tails, handing Sonic the papers.

Sonic stared at the papers. He had no idea what they said. "Um... do you expect me to understand this?"

"Oops, sorry, Sonic." Tails took the papers back. "I forgot that you aren't a math guy."

"You got that right, buddy," Sonic replied, smiling.

"Anyway," Tails continued. "I did a lot of tests on Amy, and my suspicions were correct. She was poisoned."

Sonic's face became serious. "How bad is it?"

Tails shook his head slowly. "I've never heard of this type of poison before. I'll have to do some research to figure out exactly what it is. I'll be right back." He hurried off again.

A minute later, he was back, carrying a huge stack of wobbling books. Sonic leaped up and steadied the books before they fell on the young scientist. "Whoa, be careful, Tails."

"Thanks, Sonic." Tails dropped the books on the floor. "These are all of the books I have on poisons. Whatever Amy was poisoned with, it should be here somewhere." He picked up the first book and leafed through it quickly, scanning the words on the page. "Nope, it's not here." He dropped the book into a different pile and started looking through the next book.

"Tails, how do you read so fast?" Sonic asked. "Even I can't read that fast."

Tails looked up, confused. "What?"

"Never mind," Sonic replied, smiling slightly.

Tails shrugged and went back to looking for the right poison. Halfway through, he stopped suddenly and exclaimed, "Here it is!" He compared his mathematical calculations to the page, then nodded. "It matches exactly. Here, you can see for yourself." Tails handed Sonic the book.

"'Am...har...pa...liza...'" Sonic spelled out slowly. "'A very rare poison, it is generally fatal to anyone who is poisoned by it...' Wait, fatal?!" Sonic jumped up. "Amy's gonna die?!" **(A/N: Amharpaliza is not a real poison; I just made that up.)**

Tails put up his hands to calm Sonic down. "There could be an antidote."

"Right." Sonic sat down again and went back to reading the book, slightly relieved. But a minute later, his panic had returned again. "It says there's no proven cure, Tails."

Tails grabbed the book and read the page quickly. "You're right, there is no proven cure. But..." Tails frowned. "If I can figure out the ingredients of amharpaliza, I might be able to find ingredients to counteract it and make an antidote."

"Really?" Sonic looked hopeful. "You can do that?"

Tails shrugged modestly. "Um... I've only done it once before..."

"Well, buddy, let's give it a shot! We can't let Amy die!" Sonic exclaimed. "Just tell me what you need, and let's get to work!"

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><p><strong>I'm quite surprised at all of the favorites and follows I've gotten after just the first chapter! Thanks, guys! :D I'm open to suggestions, but be nice, please!<strong>


	3. Chapter 3: We Need A Caretaker

**It's "reply to the reviewers" time!**

**2000Aerobars: I'm glad you like my story! Thanks for your suggestions; I think you're right that my story is moving too fast. And no, you didn't bore me to sleep. xD**

**Sonic, Tails, Amy and Knuckles all belong to SEGA. The mysterious store worker belongs to me... ;)**

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><p>Tails smiled at Sonic's enthusiasm. "Sorry, Sonic, but there's nothing you can do right now. I have to run some more tests to figure out the ingredients of Amharpaliza first." Tails thought for a moment. "Actually, there is something you can do. Try to remember what the person who sold you the food looked like."<p>

Sonic frowned, trying to remember. "Let's see... he looked like a guy in late teens or early twenties. He was either a fox or a wolf, and he had dark grey fur and amber eyes. When he gave us the food, he said, "Enjoy" but the way he said it was really creepy..."

"Hmm. Maybe you can go back to the store and ask around," suggested Tails.

"That's a good idea!" Sonic jumped up and was about to rush off, but Tails stopped him.

"Sonic, wait!"

Sonic turned around, confused. "What?"

"If I'm busy with tests, and you're off tracking down that store worker, who will take care of Amy?"

Sonic looked at Amy, still fast asleep on the couch. "Uh... I don't know. Hmm." He thought for a moment. "Well, definitely not Knuckles. To be honest, that Knucklehead can't even guard his own emerald, much less take care of Amy." Sonic started chuckling, until he saw the strange look on Tails' face. "What is it, buddy?"

Tails gestured behind Sonic, and Sonic turned around. Knuckles was directly behind him, looking seriously annoyed. "So I 'can't guard my own emerald', huh?"

Sonic backed away, grinning innocently. "Uh... take it easy, Knux!"

"Oh, no you don't!"

Tails ducked under a table and covered his head as he listened to Knuckles and Sonic attack each other.

"Stupid Sonic!"

"Oh, you think I'm the stupid one, eh? You're the stupid one!"

"Oh yea?!" Tails heard a loud crash.

"Ouch!"

After a few more seconds, Tails came out. Knuckles had calmed down somewhat. Sonic was partially stuck in a dent in Tails' wall. "Get me down from here!" Sonic hollered, waving his legs comically.

Knuckles marched up to Sonic to punch him again, but luckily for Sonic, Amy chose that moment to wake up. "Sonic?!" she cried, sitting up. "Oh, Sonic, I'll save y-ow!" She clutched her stomach.

Sonic wriggled free of the wall, dropped to the floor and ran to Amy. "Amy? How do you feel?"

"Not so good..." muttered Amy. She looked up at Sonic sadly. "What happened? I remember that we were in the park, and I started feeling sick, and after that, everything's just a blur."

Sonic was pretty sure that the truth would upset Amy, but he figured it wasn't safe to hide it from her. "Uh... Amy... the truth is... you've been poisoned..."

Amy gasped. "Poisoned? But who would..." Her sentence was cut off as she doubled over in pain.

"Amy, lie down," Sonic suggested, and Amy fell back on her pillow. "We don't know who did it, yet. But I'm gonna find out, that is, if Knucklehead over there will quit punching me."

Knuckles growled. "He said I can't guard my own emerald!"

"Why did you come over here anyway, Knuckles?" Tails asked.

"Rouge stole the Master Emerald. I needed help getting it back," replied Knuckles.

"See?" Sonic grinned smugly. Knuckles looked about to pound him into the wall again.

"S-Sonic..." Amy whispered. "Am... Am I going to die?"

Sonic glanced around the room. "Um... no. No, of course not. Tails, Knuckles and I are going to work together to find the cure and get whoever did this, okay?"

Amy nodded slowly. "Sonic... I... ugh..." Her eyes closed suddenly.

"Amy?" Sonic shook her gently, but she didn't open her eyes. He started to panic. "Tails?!"

Tails dashed over and checked Amy's pulse. "It's okay, Sonic. She's only unconscious. The poison must be getting to her."

Sonic looked grave. "Then we have to hurry." He pointed at Knuckles. "Forget about your Master Emerald for a moment. I changed my mind about your caretaking skills. Watch over Amy while we find the cure and the culprit!"

"But-" protested Knuckles, but Sonic cut him off.

"Isn't a real person like Amy more important than a rock?" Sonic demanded.

"It's not a rock!" Knuckles retorted.

"Fine, _emerald_. Amy's more important. Now, stay here and take care of her," Sonic instructed firmly.

"Please, Knuckles," begged Tails. "You don't want Amy to die, do you?"

Knuckles hesitated, then groaned good-naturedly. "Ugh. Fine. But if Rouge makes my emerald into jewelry, it's your fault."

"Yea, yea, whatever." Sonic turned to Tails. "Okay, Tails, get testing."

Tails saluted. "Aye aye, Sonic!" He ran off.

"And I'll go to the local store to track down that worker," Sonic muttered to himself. He zoomed off.


	4. Chapter 4: To The Store!

**Sorry for disappearing for so long... I was busy. xD**

**Sonic, Tails, Amy, Vanilla and Cream all belong to SEGA.**

**All of the store workers belong to me.**

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><p>Sonic screeched to a stop in front of the local grocery store; MobiusMart. It was an innocent looking place, but Sonic felt uneasy for some reason. Shrugging, he entered the supermarket.<p>

He walked up to a male squirrel in a red uniform. "Excuse me, can I talk to the manager of the store?"

The squirrel looked up at him. "Sure, but it'd better be important-wait. Are you Sonic the Hedgehog?!"

Sonic smiled slightly. He was used to people being a bit awed when he spoke to them. "Yes, I am. And this is very important, so I need to talk to the manager right away."

The squirrel nodded and led Sonic to a back room, where a female cat with light green fur and a tag reading 'Manager Kiwi Cat' was directing the storage of supplies. "Excuse me?" Sonic asked as the squirrel hurried off.

Kiwi looked up from her clipboard. "Yes?"

"Um, my name is Sonic the Hedgehog, and I need to talk to you about one of your employees, when you have the time," Sonic explained.

Kiwi nodded. "Let's go somewhere quieter to talk." She handed her clipboard to another employee and gestured for Sonic to follow her.

She led him to her office. Inside, there was a desk, some file cabinets and two chairs. Kiwi took the seat behind the desk, and Sonic sat down on the other chair and crossed his legs. "So, have any of my employees been causing trouble?" Kiwi inquired.

"Well... maybe. Do you have an employee with... uh... dark gray fur, and amber eyes?"

Kiwi frowned. "No, we do not. However..." She pulled a newspaper out of the file cabinet and handed it to Sonic. "Read this," she instructed.

Sonic looked at the newspaper, which happened to be yesterday's. The headline read, "Store Worker Attacked And Left In Park".

The paragraph underneath the headline read, "Earlier this morning, an employee of MobiusMart was about to head to his job as a cashier, when he was attacked and knocked out by a local criminal. His attacker then stripped him of his uniform and left him in a nearby park, dressed in regular clothes. He was found by a civilian, Vanilla the Rabbit, and her daughter, Cream, about four hours later. He was then taken to the local hospital for treatment. As soon as the employee regained consciousness, he recalled that his attacker appeared to be a male wolf with dark grey fur and amber eyes. Neither the criminal nor the stolen uniform have been located. The police are currently on the lookout for this mysterious individual."

Sonic pointed to the newspaper. "The guy who attacked the employee; that's the guy!"

Kiwi looked at him quizzically. "Hmm?"

Sonic explained, "Yesterday, a gray wolf with amber eyes sold my friend and I some poisoned food. My friend ate some of the food and got poisoned! He must have put on the stolen uniform and pretended to be an employee!"

"But why?" wondered Kiwi, continuing Sonic's trail of thought. "Who was this friend of yours?"

"Amy Rose, the Hedgehog," Sonic replied.

"Doesn't ring a bell," Kiwi mumbled. "Well, I will keep an eye out for that wolf, but I'm not sure I can help you any more than that."

"Okay. Call me if you find out anything, okay?" Sonic wrote down his phone number on a notepad and gave it to Kiwi. Before Kiwi could answer, Sonic zoomed out of the store.

"Tails!" Sonic flung open the door of Tails' lab and instantly regretted it. There was a loud crash as a bunch of glass test tubes shattered onto the floor. "Uh... whoops."

Tails glanced over at Sonic from the other end of the room. "Hmm? Oh, that's okay. I have hundreds of those." He set down the stuff he was holding and pulled his science goggles up on the top of his head. "What did you find out?"

Sonic handed Tails the newspaper, which he had conveniently taken from Kiwi's office. Tails' eyes flitted over the newspaper, then he looked up. "Well, that doesn't help us much... All we can do is keep an eye out for him, and he might have just disappeared."

Sonic nodded. "You're right... How are the tests going?"

Tails looked excited when Sonic mentioned one of his hobbies. "Oh, uh, pretty good. I have to wait for some of the solutions to settle before I can finish, but I've figured out some of the ingredients." Tails pulled up a large piece of notebook paper. "Let's see... Well, it contains water. Some sugar, too, but that's probably just to make it taste good. Oh, here's an important ingredient. Deadly nightshade."

Sonic looked confused. "Deadly whatsit?"

"Deadly nightshade. It's a poisonous plant," Tails explained.

"Oh," Sonic replied. "Anything else?"

Tails checked his paper. "Um... nope. Nothing else so far. But, as I said, I'm still testing."

Sonic brushed some papers off of a chair and sat down. "Is it okay if I nap here until you're done?"

Tails giggled. "Sure, that's fine."

Sonic yawned and fell asleep.


End file.
